The end of “test and blame”

December 14, 2015

The Ohio Education Association has heralded the end of the “test, blame and punish” era of the No Child Left Behind Act with the new ESEA, just signed by President Obama, dubbed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). OEA believes the new law puts educational decision-making back where it belongs – in the hands of local educators, parents and communities – while keeping the focus on students most in need. ESSA recognizes that student success is more than a test score by allowing states to gauge student achievement through multiple measures.

“ESSA recognizes that the one-size-fits-all approach to student achievement does not work,” said Ohio Education Association (OEA) President Becky Higgins. “ESSA will allow Ohio to reduce the amount of standardized testing. In doing so, students will have more time to learn and develop critical thinking, and teachers will have more time to teach and inspire the joy of learning. The measure also provides an opportunity for educators to have a greater voice in shaping education policy.”